Hydraulic firm sentenced after worker blinded in one eye
Lodematic Components fined £35,000 after employee suffers serious head injuries
A CLITHEROE hydraulic cylinder manufacturer has been fined for serious safety breaches after an employee was badly injured when he was struck in the face during a test procedure. Lodematic Components Ltd were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at the company’s works in Clitheroe, Lancashire, on 23 January 2014.
Preston Crown Court heard that the worker, who was assisting the works manager and design engineer in pressure testing a hydraulic cylinder when the incident occurred, was struck in the face by a pressurized hose during the test when a connector catastrophically failed. The worker suffered a broken jaw, multiple facial lacerations and total blindness in his right eye.
The HSE’s investigation found that the test zone was not segregated or safeguarded and that the test equipment was not maintained and suitable for the task. The company had also failed to carry out a risk assessment.
Lodematic Components pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and were fined £35,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £7,835.52.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Bradley Wigglesworth said: ‘Lodematic Components failed to assess the risks or provide a safe system of work for pressure testing hydraulic cylinders. The test was carried out without segregating or safeguarding the test zone, and the test connectors were not subject to maintenance or inspection. If these measures had been in place at the time of the incident, then the employee’s life-changing injuries could have been avoided.’
